Final Days in Alaska

Cook Inlet and the Aleutian Range

Bearing Tree

The rain in Seward forced several changes to the plans I had in mind before leaving Florida.  Now I had only one day in Soldotna rather than the two I had hoped for.  But plans (like records) are made to be broken, so you adapt and move on.  I left Seward on a bright, cool Wednesday morning and headed north and then west toward Soldotna. 

The first adaptation was an impulsive decision to turn into the Ptarmigan Creek Campground on the Seward highway.  The little trail there that parallels the creek is actually really pretty and quite birdy.  A Bald Eagle soared overhead, a Pine Siskin popped up on a spruce, and then a flycatcher landed just above the trail.  It looked like it was wearing a vest of some sort ... Olive-sided Flycatcher!  A lifer!  A bit further up the trail were a Wilson's Warbler, a Swainson's Thrush and a Boreal Chickadee that resisted all of my efforts to turn it into its Chestnut-backed cousin.  Next, a Spruce Grouse flushed from just behind where I walked and flew overhead -- another lifer!  This trail was great!  Then a few steps later I encountered a tree with a sign declaring it was a "Bearing Tree."  The kiosk at the trailhead had warned that bears were active in the area.  After a bit of thought, discretion won out over valor.  I had two lifers -- I didn't want to lose a life in pursuit of another -- so I bailed.

Headquarters Lake at the Kenai NWR.

I had already birded many of the stops along the Sterling highway which runs west across the Kenai Peninsula, so I drove all the way to Soldotna.  Actually, I had one stop to make.  That was at Wildman's General Store, a combination deli/grocery store/laundromat near the junction of the Seward and Sterling Highways.  I had stopped there on Monday and found four great things: the nice people who worked there, the good coffee, the clean men's room, and some delightful apple fritters.  So on Wednesday I stopped and enjoyed all four of these things again.

Finally I reached Soldotna, and I drove directly to the Headquarters of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.  This proved to be a great stop and a beautiful place.  Again there were clean restrooms and cheerful people including one ranger who spoke about where there might be some good birds.  The trail was steep - and after forgetting my scope I had to climb it an extra time.  Still, it was worth it.  There was a Hairy Woodpecker, a Brown Creeper, and an American Three-toed Woodpecker.  Then, at the lake at the bottom of the trail (pictured above, right), there was an Aleutian Tern, my third lifer of the day.

One of the Bald Eagles of Anchor Point

I wish I could say that the day in Homer was as successful.  It was not.  To be sure there were marvelous aspects to the day.  For one, the views from the highway of Cook Inlet, Kachemak Bay, and the distant volcanic peaks were extraordinary.  Anchor Point was a great stop.  One bush held a singing Golden-crowned Sparrow.  Around the parking lot were more Bald Eagles than I have ever seen in one day.  The Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor's Center is a wonderful place to spend a few hours.  The exhibits are interesting and entertaining.  One described the impact of a healthy ocean on our lives.  Another focused on the lives of sea birds.  Yet another detailed the work of the scientists who worked on the seas during the early days of the Alaska Maritime NWR.

Grazing Moose on Tustumena Lake Road

During early May, there may be no better place on earth to view shorebirds.  But this was early June and no shorebirds were to be found.  Someone told me that a plover could be found along the famed Homer Spit that cuts into the bay, but I didn't see it.  All I saw were Black-legged Kittiwakes; lots and lots of Kittiwakes.  I saw nothing on Beluga Slough, but the lake was a little better.   There were Mallards, American Wigeons, Ring-necked Ducks, and a Greater Scaup.  A Belted Kingfisher flew about looking for a meal.  But that was it.  Perhaps I didn't prepare well enough for this day, but I was out of luck.  I headed back to Soldotna but took one side road.  I drove a good distance along Tustumena Lake Road.  I found a few birds including a Common Loon in one lake and a Fox Sparrow, but the highlights were a couple of grazing Moose and a Snowshoe Hare.  The hare was mostly brown but still had its white feet.

That brought me to my final full day in Alaska.  Most of it was time spent getting back to Anchorage, but two stops are worth mentioning (aside from another stop at Wildman's).  The day started on Swanson River Road near Sterling.  I birded it for hours, hoping for a Red or White-winged Crossbill.  I really didn't want to leave Alaska with seeing a crossbill.  Among the species I found were Dark-eyed Junco, Boreal Chickadee, Gray Jay, and Varied Thrush.  I was about to give up but decided to try one more spot and I'm lucky that I did,  Four Red Crossbills perched on tall spruces long enough to give me a quick look.  That was the last lifer of the trip.

The lake at Portage Glacier

After that I drove back toward Anchorage.  After leaving the Kenai Peninsula, I pulled onto the road to Whittier and Portage Glacier.  This is a short, picturesque drive to the Visitor's Center.  There, large chunks of ice still float on a bright, startlingly blue-green glacial lake at the base of the glacier itself.  I watched Violet-green Swallows and Glaucous-winged Gulls swoop and soar above. Wilson's Warblers, a Swainson's Thrush and a Hermit Thrush sang in the shrubs near the road.  A Black Bear roamed the mountainside above us.  One trail next to the road led across a boardwalk and observation deck built for observing the salmon run up stream.  The photos above and at the bottom of the page don't begin to communicate the sheer beauty of the place. A couple of hours flew by while I soaked up the serenity and majesty of the surroundings.  And the next day I was on a plane heading back to Florida with its heat, humidity, and extraordinary variety of birds.

I'll have one more blog about my Alaskan trip.  I'll give you my trip list, lifers and non-avian species.  Also, I have a few observations that might be of interest, so come back in a day or two.  Meanwhile, it's on to the June Challenge!

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Kachemak Bay, Homer Spit and the Kenai Range

Portager Glacier and Its Lake